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  • Royals wins a thriller

    DURBAN: Rajasthan Royals stayed in the hunt with a thrilling, last-over win over Mumbai Indians at Kingsmead here on Thursday.

    Mumbai needed four off the last over with three wickets in hand but a leg-before and two run-outs ended its charge two runs short of the Royals’ 145.

    Mumbai came within a whisker of overhauling the target despite a sluggish start, principally due to a late-innings blinder by Abhishek Nayar (35, 18b, 4x4, 1x6).

    Man-of-the-match Shane Warne finished with figures of 4-0-24-3.

    Tendulkar opens up

    J.P. Duminy fell when he chopped Trivedi on to his stumps, but Tendulkar kick-started with a six off Pathan and took 18 runs (including three consecutive boundaries) off Ravindra Jadeja in the 15th over.

    Smith lost his patience against Harbhajan and pulled him straight to Duminy at mid-wicket.

    Yusuf Pathan forced boundaries off Malinga and Harbhajan, but bungled up against Nanda, his sweep finding Malinga at deep square leg in the tenth over.

    Mumbai needed 48 off the last five overs when Warne snapped up Sachin (40, 30b, 4x4, 1x6) with a straighter one,

    Earlier, Royals’ 145 was largely based on Rob Quiney’s 51 (40b, 5x4, 2x6) and Ravindra Jadeja’s 42 (32b, 4x4, 1x6).

    Warne put his side in and the opening pair of Smith and Quiney stroked its way to 43 at almost a run-a-ball before Sachin brought the spinners on.

    Dramatic last over

    By the time Nayar was out in the 19th over, he had brought Mumbai to within five runs of the target. Munaf Patel stepped up to bowl the final over and trapped Kulkarni with his second ball. Chetanya Nanda was run-out on the third and though Harbhajan scampered a single, Lasith Malinga fell short of his ground to hand Royals a thrilling win.

    Shane Warne brought himself on and struck almost immediately, inducing Rahane into a top-edge to Abhishek Raut at mid-on.

    Mumbai’s ploy of opening with Dwayne Bravo and Yogesh Takawale failed when the former miscued a pull off Munaf Patel in the second over.

    Mumbai’s miseries worsened when Takawale gloved Trivedi to the wicket-keeper in the sixth over and the side was 23 for three when Tendulkar and Jayasuriya got together.

    The pair took the score to 54 at the midway mark; Mumbai needed 92 to win off the last 10 overs.

    With the asking rate inching to ten after resumption, Warne claimed his second victim, luring Jayasuriya into skying one to mid-wicket.

    Quiney shines

    Quiney stepped up the pace after resumption, flat-batting Bravo over his head for six and flicking the same bowler to fine-leg to bring up his 50 off 37 balls.

    Ravindra Jadeja provided the push from the other end, picking Harbhajan for four boundaries one of which threaded the gap between point and cover. Jadeja was caught at long-on trying to force the pace. Tight bowling by Bravo and Jayasuriya restricted Royals to just seven runs off its last two overs.

    SCOREBOARD

    Rajasthan Royals: R. Quiney b Malinga 51 (40b, 5x4, 2x6), G. Smith c Duminy b Harbhajan 19 (19b, 3x4), Yusuf c Malinga b Nanda 17 (14b, 3x4), R. Jadeja c Bravo b Jayasuriya 42 (32b, 4x4, 1x6), S. Chitnis c Nayar b Bravo 6 (8b, 1x4), N. Ojha c Rahane b Jayasuriya 1 (4b), J. Botha (not out) 2 (3b), S. Warne (run out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-3, w-4): 7; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 145.

    Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-65, 3-126, 4-141, 5-142, 6-144, 7-145.

    Mumbai Indians bowling: Kulkarni 4-0-29-0, Malinga 4-0-28-1, Bravo 3-0-30-1, Duminy 3-0-17-0, Harbhajan 4-0-31-1, Nanda 1-0-4-1, Jayasuriya 1-0-3-2.

    Mumbai Indians: D. Bravo c & b Munaf 1 (3b), Y. Takawale c Ojha b Trivedi 18 (22b, 2x4), A. Rahane c Raut b Warne 3 (7b), S. Jayasuriya c Yusuf b Warne 16 (21b), S. Tendulkar lbw b Warne 40 (30b, 4x4, 1x6), J.P. Duminy b Trivedi 4 (5b), A. Nayar (run out) 35 (18b, 4x4, 1x6), Harbhajan (not out) 7 (8b), D. Kulkarni lbw b Munaf 1 (4b), C. Nanda (run out) 0 (1b), L. Malinga (run out) 0 (1b); Extras (lb-3, w-14, nb-1): 18; Total (in 19.5 overs) 143.

    Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-23, 3-23, 4-56, 5-76, 6-103, 7-140, 8-142, 9-142.

    Rajasthan Royals bowling: Yusuf 3-0-25-0, Munfa 3.5-0-22-2, Trivedi 4- 0-19-2, Warne 4-0-24-3, Botha 4-0- 32-0, Jadeja1-0-18-0.

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